


Blinded by Science

by tinknevertalks



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: F/M, Kinda drunken kissing, Pre-Source Blood, Pre-The Five, Truth or Dare, Victorian Sensibilities, oxford era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 12:11:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16408250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinknevertalks/pseuds/tinknevertalks
Summary: After a night of celebratory drinking, Helen's distracted by memories of Nikola's kisses. She does the only thing a scientist can do - re-examines the results and runs the test again.





	Blinded by Science

**Author's Note:**

> *Sings* It's the most wonderful time of the year!
> 
> It's Teslen Appreciation Week over on Tumblr, and there's another week of prompts to make us happy. Here's my day one: Games. It sorta ran away from me by the end there... XD
> 
> Unbeta'd, so if you spot any mistakes, lemme know. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!

The wine had been flowing freely since Helen, Nikola, and Nigel had retired to her drawing room, the two men having just sat their first year exams. They were in good cheer, Helen was not. Or at least, hadn’t been, until after they stopped talking about the bothersome exams and moved on to more interesting diversions.

“Truth or dare? Nigel, we aren't children,” Helen said, sipping from her glass. “What on Earth has possessed you?”

Nigel shrugged, smiling roguishly, “You've only ever played at Christmas time, with family I assume?” Helen nodded, and Nigel wiggled his eyebrows. “It's much more fun with friends.”

She tried to frown, but Nikola had already guffawed quietly into his drink, making her laugh gently. “Fine. You start.” Pouring herself another glass, she offered the bottle to the men, Nikola shaking his head, Nigel offering his glass. “What did your last slave die of?”

“Not enough work,” he answered simply, smiling some more. “Nikola, truth or dare?”

They started tame enough but, as with anything connected to Nigel and alcohol, the dares (and the questions, if Helen were to admit) got riskier.

“Helen, truth or dare?”

“Truth,” she answered almost instantly, having witnessed Nigel glug his full glass of wine without stopping for breath, a feat she was sure wasn't possible.

“Is the rumour on campus about you and Mr Watson true?”

“Really, Nigel? You're listening to gossip?” Helen asked back. “I barely know the man. We did have a lecture where he sat next to me but otherwi--”

“Save your words, Helen, he's asleep,” said Nikola, shaking his head.

She composed herself, then turned to Nikola. “Shall we continue the game?”

“Unless you wish to know something, I’d say no,” he answered, offering a half full bottle to her.

“Truth or dare?”

He sighed, likely recounting the questions she had asked (favourite memory, favourite dessert, somewhere he'd like to visit), “Dare.”

She blinked, then smiled (had Nikola been a touch less tipsy he would've called her expression devious). “Kiss me.”

“What?”

Cheeks flushing, she repeated herself, holding her head high.

“Where? Here?”

“Where else would you suggest? On a punt on the river?” she shot back, smiling.

He looked at her shrewdly before standing and taking her hand. Gently, he touched his lips to her knuckles. Electricity shot up Helen's arm, making her gasp. Another kiss landed directly on the back of her hand, sending more electricity through her nerves.

On his knees before her, he kissed the inside of her wrist. Her heart slammed against her ribs the further up her arm he went, her breath short pants as he kissed across her collarbone. As each short brush of his lips pressed against her skin, her lungs refused to hold air, her pants harsher as they escaped her lips.

She didn't notice her eyes closing as he kissed up the column of her neck, his breath warm against her ear. “Open your eyes, Helen,” he murmured.

“What?” she asked, voice distant and breathy. Eyes opened, she stared deep into his bright blue ones, watching them flick down to her lips before looking at her again. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of the wine they’d shared earlier. She could almost count the freckles dusting the bridge of his nose. 

Her eyelids fluttered closed as he stopped barely millimeters from her, his breathing not as calm as he appeared to be. “Dare fulfilled, Miss Magnus?” Shaking her head, she’d barely begun cursing her wantonness when his lips touched hers, warm, soft, pliant.

“Oh,” was all she could say when he moved away, wishing she could follow him. She'd been kissed before, but the deep heat settling in her stomach was different, new, interesting. If she could be kissed again, be the one to kiss him first, try--

“What what?” Nigel had awoken himself with a snore. Whatever magic had been in the air dissipated with Nigel's new bout of consciousness.

But try as she might, Helen couldn't rid herself of the ghostly caress of Nikola's lips against her skin, against her own lips. The next few days saw her flushed and bothered as, at the most random moments of the day, she'd recall his question, her own reaction, the heat of desire kindled by his actions. She could see only one conclusion.

“Nikola, I need to kiss you.”

They were alone in a corner of the library they had come to think of as theirs, dark but cosy. He’d been reading a novel when she said her words. “Why?”

Her mouth worked, trying to form the sentences she needed. “You keep distracting me!”

“I keep distracting you?” he asked, incredulous. A knowing smirk blossomed and Helen cursed herself. “We can’t have that. Shall we adjourn to somewhere more comfortable?”

She pursed her lips. “You haven’t been _that_ distracting.” _Liar, all you’ve done is think about that night._ “I have an errand to run first. What about meeting your physics laboratory at midday?”

He nodded.

There was no errand, but she needed time to compose herself. When she arrived at midday, Nikola was sat at a bench, scribbling notes in his spiky cursive. Usually he’d shuck his jacket in this room the moment he arrived, so something must have caught his attention. (Helen didn’t dare hope he’d been as distracted as she had been. _Probably something to do with alternating current again, no doubt._ ) Resisting the urge to peek over his shoulder, she merely sat next to him, waiting for him to finish his thoughts.

How would she even begin this experiment? Realising she hadn’t expected to get this far, she was almost at a loss for what to do.

Finally, he put down his pen, closing his book with a snap when he noticed her presence. “Have you finished your errand?”

She nodded. “Shall we begin?”

“I am in your capable hands.”

The first kiss was nothing special. Leaning across, she touched her lips to his. It was just a kiss. Standing, she stepped closer, but not too close. _Maybe distance is an important variable?_ Her hands lay by her waist as she kissed him again. She hummed thoughtfully as she pulled away. His lips were as warm as they were that night, but it still felt different. _Where are the sparks?_ “Might I step closer, Nikola?”

He smiled, almost knowingly. “Of course.”

“You’re letting this go to your head,” she told him.

“The chance to experiment with a brilliant scientist? You should be over the moon.”

She rolled her eyes. “You realise arrogance does not become you?” she asked, closer than ever before (even when he first kissed her there had been distance).

“Better remembered as arrogant than forgotten altogether.” There was a sadness in his eyes she would've missed had she not been so close. 

Smiling, running her hands up his forearms, she kissed him again. It was a mere brush of her lips against his, dry and chaste, but a flicker of a spark was there. _Maybe more pressure?_ She licked her lips, close enough to hear his sharp intake of breath. _Curious._ Licking her lips again, a plan formulated in her mind. “If you don’t mind…” she murmured, moving in between his legs, watching his eyes widen minutely at her action. Barely moving now to kiss him, she pressed her lips to his, running her hands up his arms to his shoulders as her eyelids fluttered closed. Catching his lower lip between her own, she sighed happily, feeling his hands encircle her waist.

There. That spark--

Her knees almost buckled when his tongue tentatively touched hers, his thumbs rubbing the boning of her corset. Heavens, but it felt delightful. Without conscious thought, they deepened the kiss. Warmth ( _heat_ ) spread through her, all the way down to her toes and her fingertips, fingertips that itched to muss his perfectly slicked back hair.

“Oh,” she breathed, eyes opening but unseeing as his kisses littered her jaw, travelling to her ear, her neck, his hands pressing her tight to his chest. All she wanted was to hold him against her, to discover the other wonderful feelings his lips ( _body_ ) could elicit. Her head swam with desire as her hands moved to his collar.

A sharp sound outside the lab made her spring away, made him release his hold of her waist, made all the warmth drain from the situation (but not from her body - the heat banked in her lower abdomen, the slickness between her legs a secret for her to keep). With a small, embarrassed cough, and a polite smile, she said, “Thank you, Nikola. That was most illuminating.”

“Anything to aid in your conquest of curiosity,” he replied, holding his hands in his lap.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me,” she said, walking backwards ( _escaping with honour intact_ ), “I have a few more errands to run before supper this evening.”

“As do I,” he said, blushing.

Her own cheeks flushed, knowing her errand was exceedingly personal in nature, and one she’d never admit to anyone. _Could he be as affected as I am?_ Her eyes trailed down his body, blinking in surprise when he flexed his fingers.

_Oh._

Licking her lips, she turned for the door, cheeks aflame. That certainly was interesting, and added fuel to her own imaginings. Maybe they’d try this experiment again, one day.


End file.
